Sleep talking is a normal phenomenon and can happen to everyone. Usually, a person will talk in their sleep while in the REM sleep cycle - the dreaming stage and rapid eye movement.

People who talk in their sleep are often not aware of what they are saying, nor do they remember what they said after waking up. Sleep talking often happens very quickly, only from a few seconds to a few minutes. In addition, sleep talking is different for each person. In fact, some people talk out loud in their sleep as if they are awake, but some people do not talk out loud or just mumble incoherent, meaningless sentences. Some people even combine actions while sleeping...

Sleep talking often occurs due to psychological stress and physical fatigue. Because at that time, the breathing rate often increases, the muscles in the body work continuously, increasing the activity of the cerebral cortex. Therefore, dreams appear, some people only see the dream in the subconscious, but some people talk out loud.

Some other causes of sleep talking include genetic factors, substance abuse, side effects of other medications, etc.

However, if sleep talking is too severe and occurs frequently, it can be an early sign of serious underlying health problems.

Researchers at Fudan University in Shanghai (China) recently discovered that people who frequently talk in their sleep have a significantly higher risk of cardiovascular problems, including stroke.

The research team conducted an initial survey of more than 8,000 participants from Tangshan City, Hebei Province, northern China to collect data on sleep habits. During the 8-year follow-up period, 333 strokes were recorded among the participants, who had an average age of 54 at the time of the initial survey.

The results showed that people who frequently talked in their sleep had a 30% higher risk of stroke than others. The risk of stroke jumped to 93% for those with both sleep talking and rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder.

Demographically, sleep talkers were more likely to be men, workers, smokers, drinkers, and those with lower education levels and physical activity levels, the report said.

Abnormal sleep parameters, such as daytime sleepiness, use of sleeping pills, and snoring, were also closely related to a higher likelihood of talking in their sleep.

Gao Xiang, a member of the research team and a professor at the School of Public Health at Fudan University, said: "Sleep talking involves complex brain activity, leading to increased heart rate and blood flow. This may be the underlying neurological reason (that can lead to stroke)."

Additionally, sleep talking is associated with sleep disruption and poor sleep quality, both of which are risk factors for heart disease and stroke.

Sleep disorders, including sleep talking, have become increasingly common in recent years due to issues such as long working hours and phone addiction. Studies show that more than 80% of individuals experience some form of sleep disorder.

Stroke has also emerged as a serious health problem today. Every year, there are about 12.2 million stroke cases worldwide. Every 3 seconds, someone has a stroke in the world. In Vietnam, more than 200,000 people have strokes each year and this alarming number is increasing. Up to 71% of stroke patients lose their ability to work.